JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU) has announced its intent to become the first U.S. airline to go fully carbon neutral, with promises to use sustainably sourced jet fuel and invest heavily in carbon offsetting to counteract any contamination it cannot reduce.
JetBlue announced on Monday that it intended to go carbon neutral starting in July. The Airline produces roughly 8 million metric tons of CO2 a year, but its new program seeks to offset it. The program features a two-pronged approach to offsetting JetBlue's emissions. The first is to replace fossil-fuel based jet fuel with sustainably sourced eco-fuel, to this end, JetBlue intends on replacing all fossil fuels with eco-fuel sourced from Neste, a Finnish based oil company and the largest producer of renewable diesel in the world. JetBlue will begin using Neste's fuel, which boasts a carbon footprint 80% smaller than conventional jet fuel, at San Francisco International Airport. The second prong of JetBlue's approach will be to invest heavily in Carbon Offsetting, the practice of "contrasting" CO2 production by replanting trees in deforested areas, capturing methane from landfills for fuel production, and investing in renewable energy such as wind and solar.
"Air travel connects people and cultures, and supports a global economy, yet we must act to limit this critical industry's contributions to climate change," JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said, addressing the company's carbon neutral ambitions. "We reduce where we can and offset where we can't. By offsetting all of our domestic flying, we're preparing our business for the lower-carbon economy that aviation - and all sectors - must plan for."
JetBlue is the first U.S. airline to attempt to go carbon neutral; other airlines such as Delta (NYSE: DAL) feature programs such as its Earth Day promotion where the company sought to offset all flights for the day, and some offer the ability to purchase a carbon offset for a ticket, but no plans to offset flight operations have been proposed until now. Some European companies have already pledged similar plans as JetBlue; EasyJet (OTC: EJTTF), one of Europe's largest airlines, announced last year that it was seeking to go carbon neutral. British Airways and Air France (OTC: AFLYY) have also announced plans to go carbon neutral.